Chapter 4

LYRA POV

I jolt up in a rush as I see Lucien emerging from the darkness just like a demon straight from hell. Long gone are the butterflies I used to feel when he was near, or the way warmth would spread through me at the sight of him.

This time, when our eyes lock, all I feel is disgust and anger. Not even the matebond can blind me now that I’ve seen his true self.

“You think I didn’t see you run off in the middle of the most important night of my life?” Lucien’s voice reverberates through the stone walls again. “You were a bad, bad Omega. That behavior is unacceptable.”

I’m stunned for a moment. How dare he come find me only to scold me after blindsiding me in front of the entire pack? It’s not like I expected an apology from him, but this was absurd. As an Omega, I learned to have a thick skin, but I’m not a rug to be walked over like this.

Anger explodes inside of me, and I do something I never thought I would ever do in my whole life.

I raise my voice at an Alpha.

“You lied to me!” I shout, my fists shaking, only now from fury rather than cold. “You said tonight would be special!”

“And it should’ve been,” he counters, still marching toward me. “Tonight, I intended to show you what our life would be like. You were supposed to have stayed and accepted my Luna like a good Omega. It was a test, and you failed.” There’s a sinister edge to his smile as his lips curve, but it doesn’t scare me away.

Despite Lucien towering over me, I take a bold step toward him without fear. “Of course, I would never accept to be your side piece!”

Lucien cocks his head, letting out a huff. “What did you think you could be? My Luna?” A scoff that’s almost a laugh bursts out of him. “Please. I’m meant to be the greatest Alpha of them all. I could never have some low scum like you by my side, tainting my image. Liana is a much better match for someone like me.”

Perhaps I had underestimated how strong and naive the matebond could make me, because the second his words hit me, a wave of sadness and heartache cuts through the anger, making me gasp. I fight the urge to clutch my chest painfully.

“Liana was my first option all along,” Lucien continues.

I don’t know if he’s oblivious to the fact that he is hammering my shattered heart over and over again, or if he knows all too well and keeps going because he enjoys it. Probably the latter.

“We had planned to take each other as chosen mates a long time ago. But then you came into the picture and made everything more difficult,” he groans.

In a moment of clarity, annoyance surged through the sorrow once again.

“Why didn’t you reject me as soon as you found out then?” I shout. “If you never planned on accepting me as your mate, you could have rejected me and spared me the pain and humiliation instead of leading me on!”

“I never led you on…” he replies calmly. “Because I don’t want to reject you.”

That takes me off guard.

I furrow my brows as I quietly, almost subconsciously, murmur, “What?”

“I don’t care how you feel about my plans. I need you to keep my wolf satisfied. Liana doesn’t get him off like you do,” Lucien confesses, to my utmost disbelief.

He creeps closer, hands reaching for me as he whispers, “You are my slutty Omega mate, and you will serve me whether you like it or not.”

I followed orders my whole life. I was taught to lower my head. To never talk back. To obey every command.

For the first time, I fight against that learned instinct.

“No!” I scream as my palms splay across Lucien’s chest, shoving him back.

Lucien is much bigger and stronger than me. All of my force is barely enough to send him staggering half a step. Still, I don’t back down.

Not until I see the thrill in his eyes, as if my disobedience excites him.

That scares me way more than if he’d gotten mad.

In a sudden move, Lucien wraps his fist around my wrist, applying so much force it hurts. “Do I need to muzzle you to keep your mouth shut, little slut? You’ll do as I say without arguing,” he growls menacingly. “Now, take your clothes off and bend over for me. I’ll fuck you however long my wolf wants to.”

“No! Get off me!” I continue to scream, entering fight or flight mode as panic spikes.

I start thrashing against Lucien’s grip, twisting and turning, hitting him repeatedly with my free hand. It has zero effect on him. It’s like I’m fighting against a boulder. He shoves me back forcefully, leaving me disoriented as my back hits the wall hard. While I’m struggling to recover my senses, he grabs the chains used for prisoners and quickly cuffs both of my wrists, binding me to the ceiling.

As fear soars, I open my mouth to scream as loud as I can, praying that someone—anyone—will hear me and come to my aid. Unfortunately, before I can make a sound, Lucien’s fingers lunge for my neck, cutting my airway so I can’t breathe.

“Want me to get rough with you? Fine,” he spits. “I always knew you liked it rough.”

I continue thrashing as his hands grab at my clothes, but all it does is drain my energy faster. As his grip on my throat tightens, the corners of my vision start turning dark. Yet before I pass out, I see his eyes cloud over.

At last, he releases me. I start coughing frantically, my lungs gasping for air. By the time I manage to recompose myself, his eyes have gone back to normal.

“Shame.” A frustrated sigh leaves him. “My Luna calls me, and I can’t keep her waiting.” He cocks his head, smirking like an insane man.

His voice becomes darker, huskier, as he adds, “But you’ll wait for me like the good little slut you are, won’t you, my Omega?”

Never, I want to say, but I’m too afraid to confront him after what he almost did. Lucien turns around, and a wave of pure relief crashes over me as I realize he’s leaving.

“Tonight is special. I’ll finally mark Liana,” he continues as he distances himself from me, and with each step, it gets easier to breathe.

But then he stops, and I freeze again.

“As for you… I think I’ll keep you there ‘til the morning,” he decides humorously, turning his head slowly to steal one last glance at me over his shoulder. “I like how you look in chains. Maybe once my Luna is satisfied, I can come and have some fun with you.”

Lucien’s sinister laugh makes my stomach tighten. Its echoes linger even after he leaves the dungeons as I’m left chained, alone, and in the dark.

And if I can’t find a way to free myself, this might be the last night of my life.